


A Better End

by ThoUgHT_PurGes



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV), The Open House, Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clay Lives, Clay and Tony are boyfriends, Clay smokes, Clay's name is Logan in this world, M/M, Orphan Clay, Tony to the rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 03:26:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoUgHT_PurGes/pseuds/ThoUgHT_PurGes
Summary: A crossover between The Open House and 13 Reason's Why.A different ending to Netflix's The Open house.Logan (this universe's Clay) barely survives his own death and deals with the erasure of his small family. Left orphaned, he only has Tony left to help him attempt to truly come to terms with his ordeal and pick up the pieces of his life again.





	A Better End

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched The Open House on Netflix and had all these interesting theories on what could possibly be going on. Needless to say, if you've seen the movie you'd probably be let down. If you haven't seen it, I'd suggest you watch it to get the gist of the universe this story takes place in.

Quite uncommon — given the time of year it was — the recent shift in temperature provided the wildwood terrain with an unbalanced, arguably gratuitous veil of snow. The mountainous terrain was often unpredictable and appeared to change from what would be considered a winter wonderland into a quagmire of rotten, patchy, blots of grass in a melange of sickly, wine-stained-teeth yellow and a healthy green luster. Fortunately for him, it made his runs a lot easier to perform. Hard terrain would have generally been his more preferred landscape to trek through, but these set of circumstances were poles apart. His feet grew the tendency of slipping clumsily under themselves, his vision was virtually absent, his breaths were brief, uncalculated, erratic, and sloppy. For the very first time in his life, he had the opportunity to undergo what the majority of humans were fortuitous enough not to experience — enacting the role of the hunted. He was wet, shivering, and the aids which were propelling him further away from what he had mistakenly assumed to be his sanctuary were overcome with the unpleasant sensation of pins and needles under the skin. Deep in the confines of his mind and withheld by his adrenaline, with only a flashlight and a substantially adequate sweater at his disposal, he knew the winter night’s hypothermic conditions would take him soon. 

Morning arrived after what seemed like days. Stumbling through waist-length thicketts of greenery which seemed untouched by winter’s gelid hands, tottering with more impetus of inherent aptitude than calculated force, instincts he had never been aware of thrust him forward. It was water — running water. His lack of sight reinstated itself into the form of impeccable hearing. With adrenaline long gone from his system, he could practically feel the infections invading his nervous system through fresh wounds around his body. His blood never seemed to clot as quickly as everyone else’s. 

He threw himself towards the narrow running expanse. Shakily taking up more and more water towards him with greedier gulps; he threw himself on his back despite everything inside of his pleading with him not to. 

Movement. 

Logan was sure of it. Faint, but his life depended on his hearing now. He quickly scrambled to his feet, clumps of clay in hand. He couldn’t run anymore. “Please, don’t hurt me !”

“Logan?” 

That voice. Disembodied as it may have been, Logan could pick it out from a crowd anywhere. To say he was familiar with it was an understatement. He didn’t care if insanity was what propelled him, he didn’t care if death itself was waiting for him, he ran to it. Dropping the mud from his hands and shooting toward his last chance.  
“We need to leave ! They’re all dead !” it was quite difficult to make the most out of what Logan was saying, screaming bloody murder and forcefully shoving his rescue in the opposite direction.

“It’s okay, I’m here Logan.” his rescue embraced him in a constricting hug. “I’m here.” he broke down in his arms.

……….

He was safe. He sat mesmerized by the slow change in scenery. The mountains and the woodlands by which he felt surrounded he had grown to hate. His initial state of shock — the typical slack facial expression, mouth slightly open, a body stiff and frozen in place — had slowly begun to dissipate. The car’s impetus brought him comfort. The entire ordeal had ended rather promptly but Logan’s memories and experiences in that house lingered in the vacancy of his subconscious almost an entire year later. 

“Can I smoke in here ?” he said as his eyes remained fixated on the backcountry.

Tony glanced at him and reluctantly lowered the passenger side window.

He sat up awkwardly and shuffled through the back pocket of his jeans. His eyes met with Tony’s expectantly. Tony brought his eyes back to the road; his left hand fumbling in his jacket pocket before reluctantly pulling out the pack and tossing them on Logan’s lap. He let out a long puff of air through his nose and placed both hands back on the wheel. He said nothing, without a hint of embarrassment.

Logan smirked as he shook his head, lighting a cigarette. “Y’know…” he began, blowing a facile plume of smoke, billowing from his pale lips. “It’s so irrelevant now but before we were attacked, my mom and me, she was telling me about how I was almost named Clay.” He took another quick drag, coughing as he exhaled. He let his arm rest outside the window to avoid getting anymore smoke into Tony’s vehicle. 

“I think that would’ve been a cute name.” he chuckles.

Silence. 

“...thanks for driving up with me by the way. I couldn’t have done this...not with my Aunt.”

Tony didn’t say anything, nervously adjusting in his seat. 

He let out an exasperated sigh and tossed the remainder of his cigarette out the window. “I love you…” Tony shot him a slightly concerned look. “It’s just that I’m not sure if I’ve been showing it enough lately.”

“You’ve been through a lot. Hannah in junior year and then….y’know...the things you went through last year.” Tony sympathised with his boyfriend. He really did. He couldn’t even imagine losing two relatives, let alone one. They were a close family of 7 that took care of each other. It was difficult to admit but Hannah’s suicide had brought them closer together. He was Logan’s only medium of comfort other than his passion for running. Although he felt like Logan’s recent clutch to smoking was partially his fault. “I wasn’t there for you when you needed me and —”

“You saved my life.” he interrupted. “If you never came up to visit…” 

“Your mom planned the whole thing. She saw how withdrawn you were getting about your dad….and being pulled out of school. She even offered to pay for gas.”

He wiped his eyes hastily. “After we drop the rest of my stuff off at my aunt’s, can I sleep at your place tonight ? There’s another court hearing I have to go to.” He said in an attempt to change the subject. It wasn’t like he was uncomfortable with talking about his family with Tony. Tony was his outlet. If anything, he told him too much. He had spent too much time — in his mind — crying, going to therapy, moving his things from his parents’ house — which was in the process of being foreclosed — to his aunt’s, and a myriad of other unhealthy coping mechanism. The murderer hadn’t made it far and was caught within a month after the attacks. He clung to Tony not only because he loved him, but also because he was the last thing he had left to hold on to.

He took one hand off the wheel and placed it on Logan’s thigh. “Of course, Logan.”

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, this is it ! it was pretty short and I kind of wrote it in the heat of the moment because I was like, well none of my crazy theories I make during movies (that have a 95% success rate, I might add) came true so I'll just make my own, This is my first one-shot so I hope you liked it.  
> I felt like adding more elements to this but I wrote it so suddenly that I just decided to leave it there. A lot happened over the past year for the character. He didn't finish high school, he has a role in getting his potential killer to prison, he wears contacts most of the time to avoid being left in vulnerable positions, I could go on. 
> 
> Anyway, leave a comment if you want !


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